CVE-2010-4538

CVE-2010-4538 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Wireshark with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 29% places it in the 98th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

• Severity: Critical (CVSS 2.0 base score 9.3)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 29% (98th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-119
• Affected product: Wireshark
• Published: 2011-01-07
• Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Buffer overflow in the sect_enttec_dmx_da function in epan/dissectors/packet-enttec.c in Wireshark 1.4.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted ENTTEC DMX packet with Run Length Encoding (RLE) compression.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2010-4538?

Buffer overflow in the sect_enttec_dmx_da function in epan/dissectors/packet-enttec.c in Wireshark 1.4.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted ENTTEC DMX packet with Run Length Encoding (RLE) compression.

How severe is CVE-2010-4538?

CVE-2010-4538 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.

Is CVE-2010-4538 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 29% (98th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2010-4538?

CVE-2010-4538 affects Wireshark. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2010-4538?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2010-4538 published?

CVE-2010-4538 was published on 2011-01-07 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

• http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-January/053042.html
• http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-January/053061.html
• http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2010/12/31/7
• http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/01/03/8
• http://osvdb.org/70244
• http://secunia.com/advisories/42767
• http://secunia.com/advisories/42853
• http://secunia.com/advisories/42910
• http://secunia.com/advisories/42914
• http://www.debian.org/security/2011/dsa-2144
• http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2011:002
• http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2011-0013.html
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/45634
• http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1024930
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0008
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0053
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0069
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0079
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0099
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0110
• https://bugs.wireshark.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=5539
• https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A14937

Affected products (1)

• cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Wireshark

• CVE-2011-0444 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in the MAC-LTE dissector (epan/dissectors/packet-mac-lte.c) in Wireshark 1.2.0 through 1.2.13 and 1.4.0…
• CVE-2010-2995 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The SigComp Universal Decompressor Virtual Machine (UDVM) in Wireshark 0.10.8 through 1.0.14 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.9…
• CVE-2010-2994 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Stack-based buffer overflow in the ASN.1 BER dissector in Wireshark 0.10.13 through 1.0.14 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.9 has…
• CVE-2009-1266 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in Wireshark before 1.0.7 has unknown impact and attack vectors.
• CVE-2009-1210 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Format string vulnerability in the PROFINET/DCP (PN-DCP) dissector in Wireshark 1.0.6 and earlier allows remote…
• CVE-2008-3146 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple buffer overflows in packet_ncp2222.inc in Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.9.7 through 1.0.2 allow attackers to…

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